March 02–When Cliff LeCleir bought 3.62 acres in downtown La Crosse, he knew that a warehouse wasn’t the property’s best use.
But the Great Recession ensued, and Central States Warehouse, in the 300 block of North Second Street, remained a warehouse.
But if LeCleir’s plans work out, demolition will begin in June to make way for a Hilton-Hampton Inn & Suites Hotel at the north end of downtown La Crosse.
“It’s located right at the apex of all this development that’s coming,” LeCleir said Saturday in a telephone interview, referring to the growth of downtown La Crosse to the south and the coming development of the former Mobil Oil property to the north.
“It is going to be a very impressive presence,” he said of the planned four-story hotel, though he declined to say precisely where on the property the hotel will be situated.
The warehouse runs along Second Street, from Pine Street north to La Crosse Street. LeCleir’s property also includes a parking lot that runs from the warehouse to Third Street, mid-block between the La Crosse Tribune at Third and Pine streets to the south and a Tribune-owned parking lot at Third and La Crosse streets to the North.
Larry Kirch, La Crosse city planner, confirmed LeCleir has met with city staff to discuss design standards. Kirch said he expects the site will not require environmental remediation, despite a long history of industrial uses prior to its existence as a warehouse.
Kirch called the hotel plan “an extraordinary economic opportunity” and a “great reuse.”
La Crosse Mayor Tim Kabat greeted LeCleir’s plan with enthusiasm.
“I think it will be a great addition for downtown,” Kabat said, adding that the hotel would meet a need for more rooms for La Crosse Center convention-goers and other visitors.
The MOSES Organic Farming Conference, for instance, brought almost 3,400 people to downtown La Crosse from Thursday through Saturday, far more than nearby hotels were able to accommodate.
The interest in hotel-building tells Kabat that the city is on the right track in recognizing the urgency of further upgrades to the La Crosse Center to encourage events and conventions to either stick with La Crosse or give it a chance.
“What this tells us that we’re correct in the assessment that our downtown is a high-demand destination,” Kabat said.
Kabat said the planned hotel is unlikely to affect the prospects for the development of the parking lot south of the La Crosse County Law Enforcement Center known as Lot C.
LeCleir’s property lies in an existing tax increment financing district, but LeCleir declined to comment on whether his hotel management group would look to the city for financial assistance. He has invited prospective investors in the hotel to a meeting Tuesday evening at the Radisson Hotel.
